snapper

[ snap-er ]

noun

, plural (especially collectively) snap·per, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) snap·pers snap·pers

1. any of several large marine food fishes of the family Lutjanidae.
2. any of various other fishes, as the bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix.
3. snapping turtle.
4. Informal. a person in charge of a group of workers.
5. a tuft or knot of cotton, horsehair, hemp, etc., at the tip of a whip's lash; cracker; popper.

snapper

/ ˈsnæpə /

noun

1. See red snapper
   any large sharp-toothed percoid food fish of the family Lutjanidae of warm and tropical coastal regions See also red snapper
2. a sparid food fish, Chrysophrys auratus, of Australia and New Zealand, that has a pinkish body covered with blue spots
3. See snapping turtle, bluefish
   another name for bluefish snapping turtle
4. a person or thing that snaps
5. informal.
   a person who takes snapshots; photographer
6. informal.
   a baby

Word History and Origins

Origin of snapper¹

First recorded in 1525–35; snap + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Each program generally has three scholarships allocated to kickers, punters, snappers.

From FiveThirtyEight

We meet our snapper first as a whippersnapper—shot by who knows?

From The Daily Beast

One afternoon at 5:30 p.m., we sit in the dining room as Doug briefs the staff about the evening special: Hawaiian pink snapper.

From The Daily Beast

Just one freelance snapper was alert enough to photograph the royal cars as they rolled up to a back entrance of the hospital.

From The Daily Beast

Samples claimed to be tuna and snapper had the highest fail rates, at 59 percent and 87 percent, respectively.

From The Daily Beast

Only seven of 120 samples of “red snapper” purchased nationwide actually proved to be red snapper.

From The Daily Beast

Sometimes it's Snapper and sometimes it's Klick; I don't know which is which, but one of them has adenoids.

From Project Gutenberg

At last Mr. Snapper could blow no more, and with profuse thanks we gathered ourselves, together and departed.

From Project Gutenberg

If she should ask her mother, a string of questions would ensue, with "No" for a snapper.

From Project Gutenberg

I suggested comfort in the idea of red snapper at Pensacola.

From Project Gutenberg

And yet Powell, if he will forgive me for saying so, was the merest whipper-snapper.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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